MLB Player News

Diaz is projected to receive the starting nod at shortstop over Yangervis Solarte in the Blue Jays' season opener Thursday against the Yankees, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

The two players have been competing in spring training for the gig since Troy Tulowitzki was officially ruled out for the start of the season in mid-March due to a bone spur in his heel. There haven't been any reports that Tulowitzki is close to playing in rehab games, so with an extended absence potentially on tap, Diaz and Solarte could both end up seeing semi-regular starts early on in the season. Diaz presumably has the leg up on Solarte due to his superior spring at the plate, but neither player has been particularly effective during Grapefruit League action. Manager John Gibbons could end up riding the hot bat at the position until Tulowitzki is available, affording Diaz little job security to begin the campaign.

The Orioles reassigned Sardinas to minor-league camp Sunday, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Sardinas earned an invitation to spring training to complete for the role of utility infielder, which was won by Danny Valencia. The 24-year-old has struggled in the majors with a career .229/.278/.293 slash line in 480 plate appearances and should return to Triple-A Norfolk to start the season.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Anderson will be held out of Sunday's Cactus League game against the Brewers due to minor soreness in the shortstop's left shoulder, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Anderson picked up the injury while diving in the field for a ball Friday against the Mariners. The shoulder issue likely won't threaten Anderson's availability for the start of the season. Anderson is slated to serve in an everyday role at shortstop this season, though he'll likely slot near the bottom of the order after delivering a woeful .276 on-base percentage across 606 plate appearances in 2017.

The Mariners reassigned Vincej to their minor-league camp Sunday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Vincej was a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster with Andrew Romine and Taylor Motter viewed within the organization as superior utility options. After spending most of the 2017 campaign with Triple-A Louisville in the Reds organization, Vincej is expected to get his first taste of the Pacific Coast League this season while playing primarily with Triple-A Tacoma.

Mondesi (shoulder) will play second base and bat seventh against the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Mondesi has been battling a shoulder impingement since early March, but was able to begin throwing this week and should be nearing full health as Opening Day approaches. Unless the Royals feel as though he needs a little more time to recover, expect the 22-year-old to be active for Thursday's regular-season opener against the White Sox.

Adrianza will begin the season as the only backup infielder on Minnesota's 25-man roster, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

With the release of Erick Aybar and Jorge Polanco out 80 games due to a PED suspension, Adrianza becomes the primary backup at three positions with Eduardo Escobar set to start at shorstop. If Miguel Sano receives a suspension from a current MLB investigation into an alleged 2015 sexual assault, Adrianza could start at shortstop with Escobar moving to third base.

Mondesi (shoulder) said he began throwing from 90 feet Tuesday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Mondesi has been dealing with a shoulder impingement for the past two weeks, which has limited him to designated hitter duties in Cactus League action. While he's making positive strides in his throwing program, it appears Mondesi may not have enough time to get back up to speed before the start of the season, which could lead to him opening the year at extended spring training.

Wendle, who's hitting .353 over 38 spring plate appearances, continues to push for a left-handed platoon role at second base with his consistency at the plate, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Already a proven performer at the Triple-A level for multiple seasons while with the Athletics organization, Wendle was a December acquisition that flew somewhat under the radar, but that had the air of a possible steal for the Rays. Wendle's resume includes 58 home runs and 327 RBI over a 641-game minor-league career, and he's been able to produce with both the bat and glove at every stop that he's spent an appreciable amount of time in. That's carried over to his first spring in Tampa, where manager Kevin Cash has taken note of how well-rounded and consistent the 27-year-old's game is. "I think our guys got it right when we acquired him," Cash said. "They said he's a very consistent player, solid defender, and gets his hits. He's quietly had a pretty good spring at the plate. Seems like he's getting a hit a day. Just very steady. And sometimes you don't want to see surprising, you just want to see consistency, and that's what he's shown."

Velazquez is in the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Velazquez has been out since Tuesday after getting hit in the head by a pitch. The 23-year-old has yet to reach Triple-A and hit .235/.297/.374 in 414 plate appearances for Double-A Montgomery last year.

Bogaerts is Boston's likely No. 5 hitter to start the season, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The hope was that Bogaerts would get to join Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez in the top four of Boston's lineup, but Hanley Ramirez is expected to open the season as the team's No. 3 hitter, pushing Bogaerts down to fifth in the order. While this obviously would result in slightly fewer plate appearances, fewer runs and possibly a bump in RBI, a lot can change over the coming weeks/months, and it would not be surprising if Bogaerts earned a higher spot in the lineup as the season goes on. He is hitting .323 with one home run in 31 spring at-bats.